NICHD Appoints a Neuropsychologist as Deputy Director, OSTP Releases Budget Priorities for FY21

September 11, 2019

Credit: National Institutes of Health

Alison Cernich, Ph.D., has been selected as deputy director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Cernich will assist the NICHD Director in overseeing the institute’s research programs in biological, behavioral and clinical research related to conception and pregnancy, typical and atypical development in childhood, reproductive health, and medical

Importance of Behavioral Factors and Social Determinants Highlighted

August 21, 2019

Social and behavioral factors affect life-course development and are a topic of interest in Washington DC.

A report, “The Promise of Adolescence; Realizing Opportunity for All Youth,” was recently released by the National Academies Board on Children, Youth, and Families, a division of the National Academies of Science. This document on the adolescent brain outlines key changes in brain structure and the impact of social factors on young people’s development during

Clinical Trials Update: Enforcement of BESH Postponed until 2021

July 25, 2019

On Wednesday, July 24, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it would delay the enforcement of registering and reporting results of Basic Experimental Studies involving Humans (BESH) on ClinicalTrials.gov to September 24, 2021. This has already been delayed once before.

This decision, published in a Guide Notice (NOT-OD-19-126), reflects NIH’s need for additional time to address current challenges. In an Open Mike blog post, OBSSR Director William

National Science Board Meets, Expresses Support for SBE, Discusses Plans to Address Foreign Influence

July 25, 2019

The National Science Board (NSB), a presidentially appointed body tasked with establishing policies for the National Science Foundation, met on July 17 and 18 to discuss numerous issues of importance to the broader scientific community, including an update on the Social Behavioral and Economic (SBE) Directorate, concerns about foreign influence in science, and the NSF’s Vision 2030 plan.

(See webcast of meeting: Day 1, Day 2)

On day one, Dr. Arthur Lupia provided an